How can we talk, or think, about “private parts” in a philosophical way?

In this provocative and unexpectedly tender episode of Hotel Bar Sessions, co-hosts Leigh M. Johnson, Rick Lee, and Talia Mae Bettcher unpack the philosophical complexities of “private parts.” What starts as a playful premise quickly becomes a deep exploration of bodily privacy, modesty, and the moral and social codes that govern our most intimate physical boundaries. Drawing from cultural history, personal anecdotes, and ethical theory, the hosts ask why some body parts are marked as “private,” what makes them morally charged, and why euphemisms often stand in for anatomical accuracy in public discourse.

The conversation traverses the gendered policing of exposure, the politics of public breastfeeding, the different textures of shame and vulnerability, and the legal and ideological battles over trans access to public bathrooms. Talia introduces a key distinction between boundary transgression and boundary traversal—highlighting how intimacy requires consented crossings of private lines, while violations mark moral failure. Leigh and Rick connect these questions to broader cultural scripts of modesty and the performance of decency, noting how certain bodies—especially trans, fat, Black, and disabled bodies—are denied privacy altogether.

As the episode unfolds, the hosts reflect on how “private parts” are not just physical zones, but sites of personal storytelling, social construction, and erotic creativity. Drawing on insights from queer and trans subcultures, the trio explores the ways that intimacy, vulnerability, and even pleasure are shaped by the boundaries we erect and the ones we dare to cross. What makes a body part private, they ask, and what possibilities for connection—ethical, emotional, political—open up when we reimagine the limits of privacy itself?

References and Additional Readings

• Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction. (Vintage Books, 1990)

• Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex. (Vintage Books, 2011)

• Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. (Routledge, 1990)

• Sara Ahmed, The Cultural Politics of Emotion. (Edinburgh University Press, 2004)

• Iris Marion Young, “Throwing Like a Girl: A Phenomenology of Feminine Body Comportment, Motility, and Spatiality”. Human Studies, 1980.

• George Carlin, Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. (Comedy Album, 1972)

• The Handmaid’s Tale (TV Series, 2017– ). Hulu / MGM Television

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) resources on trans rights and bathroom access

• Lambda Legal, “Transgender Rights Toolkit: A Legal Guide for Trans People and Their Advocates”

Recent News Events Relevant to the Discussion

• Federal Bathroom Mandates for Trans Workers: President Donald Trump’s administration has reinstated a mandate requiring all federal employees to use restrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth, reigniting legal challenges from trans employees across the U.S.
  Read via TIME

• Omaha Mayor’s Race and Anti-Trans Campaign Tactics: In a surprising upset, Democrat John Ewing, Jr. defeated Republican incumbent Jean Stothert in Omaha’s mayoral election, despite a wave of anti-transgender rhetoric targeting trans women and drag performers.
  Read via Them

• Glasgow Pride Bans Political Parties Over Trans Rights Failures: Following a controversial UK Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender, Glasgow Pride organizers announced that political parties would be barred from participating in the event due to their lack of support for trans rights.
  Read via The Times

• UK Equality Watchdog Extends Gender Guidance Consultation: The UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission plans to extend its consultation on gender guidance after backlash to a Supreme Court ruling that defined “woman” as a biological category under the Equality Act.
  Read via The Guardian

• NHS Nurse Sues Over Trans Inclusion in Changing Rooms: Sandie Peggie, an NHS nurse, is suing NHS Fife after being suspended for objecting to a trans woman using the female staff changing area, challenging the hospital’s self-ID gender policies.
  Read via The Times

• First Arrest Under Florida’s Anti-Trans Bathroom Law: A transgender student, Marcy Rheintgen, was arrested at the Florida State Capitol for using a women’s restroom, marking the first enforcement of the state’s Facility Requirements Based on Sex Act.
  Read via Wikipedia (background)

• Cis Women Harassed Over Gender in Boston Hotel: Two queer cisgender women were ejected from the Liberty Hotel in Boston after one was asked to “prove” her sex in a women’s restroom, sparking debate over gender policing and public privacy.
  Read via Them

• Holyrood Bans Trans Women from Female Toilets: The Scottish Parliament revised its policies to restrict bathroom access based on biological sex, aligning with a UK Supreme Court ruling that limits legal gender recognition for trans individuals.
  Read via The Times

• Global Legislative Rollbacks on Trans Rights: From the UK to Hungary, lawmakers are increasingly pushing legal definitions of sex rooted in biology, undermining trans protections and reinforcing rigid public-private divides.
  Read via AP News

• Utah Passes Student Privacy Bill Rooted in Modesty Norms: A new Utah law mandates private changing areas for students in public schools, reflecting growing conservative efforts to legislate modesty and privacy through gendered norms.
  Read via KSL.com